Encrypted Android Auto and the AdBlock Plus Browser

I kinda like doing these little Dark Android news update posts, so here’s another one for you covering a couple of interesting, albeit not 100% DAPS prospects…

Telegram Updated

As listed on the main Dark Android page, the best way to handle non-SMS messaging (as well as file transfers, timed picture sharing, etc.) is to use the Telegram app, which is available in the F-Droid app store/repository (and it’s available just about everywhere else, which one of its greatest strengths is how cross-platform Telegram is). Amazingly, this cross-platform app has gone all the way to being available on Android Auto! Now, I personally think computers in cars are a terrible idea due to the level of insecurity they bring to your car (a point that top-security researcher Steve Gibson shares, just listen to the first few minutes of this episode of Sovryn Tech), as well as the lack of ability to drive and/or repair it even if the sensor failures are just computer problems and not mechanical…and there are a million other reasons, all of which I should do a blog post about in the future…but, whoa, I’m off topic. The point I wanted to share is that encrypted messaging will be possible with your new Android Auto-powered car thanks to the anarchist-built-and-run Telegram app. And how knows, maybe one day there will be a open-source Cyangenmod version of Android Auto?

(If you want to reach me on Telegram, my username is: @Sovryn)

The AdBlock Plus BrowserRecently I have stopped recommending Firefox as the “browser of choice” for Dark Android due to the lack of it being updated to the latest version in the F-Droid app repository, among other reasons (such as dealing with closed-source DRM companies). I now recommend IceCat for a Dark Android or quasi-Dark Android setup, but another possibility has come on the scene in beta. The folks over at AdBlock Plus have created their own Firefox-based Android web browser. Now, this isn’t available in the Google Play Store (which I’m sure eventually it will), and for now AdBlock Plus is making it available as a separate .apk (which is the same way you have to get IceCat, F-Doid, and some other Dark Android apps). The fact that it’s available that way is not new for the people at AdBlock Plus, and I actually like it being available as a separate .apk. Make sure to go through the settings on this AdBlock Plus’ new web browser, as AdBlock Plus did not make “block all ads” the default, so you may want to change it to that.

Now I still recommend IceCat over this, as the permissions that the AdBlock Plus Browser asks for are questionable (though not uncommon for “modern” web browsers), so using this is all up to personal comfort levels. Here’s the link for the Google+ post to get to the direct download of the browser’s .apk. If anything, it’s a great alternative to Chrome, and is probably the most “advanced” browser that is available outside of the Play Store, even if you’re not going full Dark Android.